Thursday, June 30, 2011

Anthony Herrera

Actor -- via michaelfairmansoaps.com.

Simon Heere Heeresma

Writer -- via bndestem.nl.

Marjorie Brown "Marnie" Jump

Co-founder of A-Basin ski area in Colorado -- via the Summit Daily.

Arthur B. Balinger

Actor -- via obits.dignitymemorial.com. A ubiquitous member of Jack Webb's acting troupe, he appeared in many Mark VII Ltd. TV productions such as "Dragnet," "Adam-12" and "Emergency!", usually as a captain or chief. Before this, he worked extensively in radio.

Edith Fellows

Actress -- via the L.A. Times.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

George Ballas

Inventor of the Weed Eater -- via the Houston Chronicle.

Richie Myers

Shortstop -- via the Sacramento Bee.

Ted Gray

Pitcher -- via baseball-fever.com.

Claudia Bryar aka Hortense Rizler

Actress -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Fernando Larrain Munita

Humorist -- via radioagricultura.cl.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Monday, June 27, 2011

Elaine Stewart

Actress -- via the Hollywood Reporter. My strongest memory of her is in the role of Jane Ashton, Gene Kelly's erstwhile fiancee in "Brigadoon."

Margaret Tyzack

Actress -- via the Guardian.

Sidney Radner

Magician and guardian of Houdini's legacy -- via the New York Times.

Saurav Chaliha aka Surendra Nath Medhi

Writer -- via the Time of India.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Fred Steiner

Composer, conductor, orchestrator and arranger for film, radio and television -- via Film Music Reporter. An Academy Award nominee for his score for "The Color Purple," he most famously wrote "Park Avenue Beat," the theme for the "Perry Mason" TV show.

CORRECTION: I received a nice note from Chuck Schwartz, cousin of Steiner, whose corrections are now incorporated into the obituary. "Fred Steiner did NOT write the theme for (saturday morning) Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. I think his father George may have done that one. Fred DID write the theme for primetime's The Bullwinkle Show, which was the prime time version of Rocky."



Roy Gene Munse

Radio host -- via The Eagle.

E. M. Broner

Author, professor and feminist -- via The Jewish Week.

Robert A. White

TV writer -- via Animation Magazine.

Cyril Ornadel

Composer and conductor -- via the Independent.

Nasa Begum

Disability rights activist -- via the Guardian.

Peter Falk

Actor -- via KTLA. A great performer -- although he will be best remembered for playing TV detective Columbo,

he could do much, much more. He started in live TV in New York. He made it into movies playing rats and criminals in movies such as "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "Murder, Inc." He finally displayed his dramatic chops in several collaborations with John Cassavetes in "Husbands," "A Woman Under the Influence," and "Opening Night."

He could do comedy -- just watch the original "The In-Laws," "Murder by Death" and "The Princess Bride."

My favorite role of his was a relatively small one, but a key one, as "Der Filmstar" in Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire."

"To smoke, and have coffee - and if you do it together, it's fantastic." What a guy.

Gene Colan

One of the great Silver Age comic book artists -- via the Sacramento Bee. Best known for his work on "Daredevil" and "The Tomb of Dracula," he also drew Captain America (inventing the Falcon), Doctor Strange, the Sub-Mariner, Batman and many others.

Burt Styler

Comedy writer for radio and television -- via the L.A. Times.

Robert Kroetsch

Novelist, poet and writer -- via the National Post.

Mike Waterson

Folksinger and singer-songwriter -- via the Hull Daily Mail.